|
Rivfader posted:Been a while since I posted something, but here's a house/techno thing I'm currently working on. The groove is nice and textures are cool. I'd add some sparse top line melody to compliment the bass and choir. Don't think you need that high hat on the off beat at the start either.
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2013 13:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 08:52 |
|
|
I am new to making electronic music. I have been learning (very slowly) to use FL Studio 10 for about two weeks and feel that I have not learned anywhere near enough to do anything worthwhile. I have mostly been trying to figure out how to make the sounds I want using Sytrus. I have been following a tutorial, but still I am baffled when I try using it. Does anyone know of a guide that can help me learn to make any sound I want to and actually know what the hell I am doing? At the moment, I only want to make two sounds. One is a very simple bass, which I am astonished at how I can not find anything that sounds close enough to it in Sytrus' presets or in any samples online. Specifically, I want a bass that sounds like the one in this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdCWjW8mDyE Second, I am trying to make a violin plucking kind of sound kind of like the one in this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liDBB2ZKKKM Specifically, the higher pitched ones. I feel kind of intimidated to ask, since everyone here knows way more than I do, but I have looked around a lot to figure things out myself, and have made very little progress. I dont know if all of the answers I am looking for are already in the thread or not, and if they are, I have no idea what page to start looking on.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2013 23:26
|
|
|
Sytrus, while a great synthesizer, might not be the best to start out on, as it's an FM synthesizer, if I'm not mistaken. Which conceptually can be hard to wrap your head around unless you dig deep into the theory about how sound is made up mathematically. The bass sounds to me like a properly enveloped (short attack, full sustain, short release) sine wave with maybe a hint of overdrive, not much more than that. That should bring you in the ballpark. I don't know if FL Studio has a decent virtual analog synth plugin these days, but in any case it would be easiest to recreate it in one of those. If you need a free plugin recommendation, try Synth1, if for no other reason than that there are some great tutorials for it in this thread. The pizzicato strings are likely to be (processed) samples. I mean, it's a complicated sound and 'realistic' emulations are likely to be based on plucked string modeling, which not many synthesizers do have (BR808 is a free one, if you're feeling adventurous). Good news is, workable samples can be found, because they're not complicated to sample right. I don't know if my memory is messing with me, but I think FL Studio had a plugin that could load sfz sample banks? Because these guys have a free orchestral sample bank with pizzicato strings in it. A free SFZ Player can be found here, if needed. (EDIT I'm seeing recommendations for Kontakt Player or VemberAudio ShortCircuit instead) I don't want to discourage you from digging into Sytrus, however. Flipperwaldt fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Mar 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 00:17
|
|
|
I am the M00N posted:I am new to making electronic music. I have been learning (very slowly) to use FL Studio 10 for about two weeks and feel that I have not learned anywhere near enough to do anything worthwhile. I have mostly been trying to figure out how to make the sounds I want using Sytrus. I have been following a tutorial, but still I am baffled when I try using it. Does anyone know of a guide that can help me learn to make any sound I want to and actually know what the hell I am doing? Two weeks equals no time. Don't expect to make anything even remotely worthwhile for at least two months (probably more, depending on the amount of time you put into it). It takes most people at the very least six months to a year to really get something going. All depends on effort, musical know-how and talent however.  In terms of tutorials, try Youtube and Google, there are plenty of free ones out there. Or check out dubspot or other paid ones, some of which are decent and worth some money, others not so much. In the end, educating yourself as you get familiar with software is the best way. For the bass sound you're looking for, try any bass sound in a lower key, use short notes (and short release) and then use a lowpass filter to remove all the highs. That should get you going. That violin sound is probably sample-based. The bouncy effect on it is a pingpong delay, which does what its name suggests.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 00:24
|
|
|
When I try google and youtube, I normally only get crap about dubstep. So I figured it would be better to ask people here. Anyway thanks guys. I figured I would have a long way to go before I know enough to make some stuff. Either way, I think what you have posted will all help pretty well for now. The Skeleton King fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Mar 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 00:30
|
|
Rivfader posted:That violin sound is probably sample-based. The bouncy effect on it is a pingpong delay, which does what its name suggests. To be fair, the Halo soundtracks were done with a small orchestra.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 00:40
|
|
|
Seconding the recommendation for Synth 1, which is a very capable subtractive (analog-style) synth and great to learn on. It's simple enough to understand completely, but has all of the essential pieces of a full-featured synth: oscillators, filter, envelopes, LFOs, even some icing like effects and an arpeggiator. One thing that helped me a lot was to make a blank default patch and, starting from that, build a bunch of simple sound effects from scratch. Try and make sounds for: - a water drip - a racecar zooming by - a racecar driving through a tunnel - a car horn - a helicopter hovering overhead - a slide whistle - a ping-pong ball (on the table and against a paddle) - a police siren - a simple kick drum / snare drum / hi-hat - an alarm clock buzzer or the buzzer on a clothes dryer - pew-pew space lasers - explosions - a bunch of scary ambient sci-fi noises - a windy soundscape - bubbles underwater - a submarine's sonar ping When learning sound design, it's really important to thoroughly understand the basic building blocks of subtractive synthesis: oscillators, filters, envelopes, and LFOs. There are other flavors of synthesis (and I agree with Flipperwaldt that you might want to sort of put Sytrus on the back burner until you're comfortable with the basics), but those basic concepts are pretty universal, and can make it a lot easier to understand how more complex synth patches are put together.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 20:34
|
|
|
My favorite thing about Synth1 is the sync button. I don't know what it does internally but if you enable it and modulate the FM parameter on the first oscillator you can make these really goofy squeaking sounds and there is tons of flexibility in the kinds of squeaks you can make. It works particularly well using a square wave for the second oscillator. I haven't managed to figure out how to do it using any other synthesizer. The sound that comes in at around 00:35 on this track uses this technique: https://soundcloud.com/colugo/bear-computer-gif
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2013 21:12
|
|
|
I was just pointed towards this really nice set of free Reaktor ensembles http://boscomac.free.fr/ There are some absolute gems in there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2013 16:02
|
|
|
Since you're using FL, I highly recommend using the built-in TS404 (http://www.image-line.com/support/FLHelp/html/chansettings_ts404.htm) and 3xOsc synths to learn the basics of synthesis. Especially TS404, that's such an underrated and fun little synth. The strength of using FL's integrated synths is how easy it is to automate them in weird ways due to how you can connect different parameters to control each other, so learn at least one of them to heart (like Sytrus) before you go on a VST binge. By the way, fun thing about the ts404, it used to be a standalone software synth before Image-Line took it in. http://www.sonicspot.com/ts404/ts404.html
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2013 16:54
|
|
|
Something I've been working on, it ended up coming out a bit like an upbeat dubtechno song. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. There are a lot of bassy sounds in this song that I had a hard time fitting together. https://soundcloud.com/ttinga/rali
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2013 21:04
|
|
|
Haha, I remember that standalone version from the days when Cubase was midi only. And when I was messing around with FL Studio in 2004 or something, I dismissed the plugin version right away, because it wasn't pretty enough  I still do that, by the way. Although it has moved slightly from pure aesthetics-based to mostly preferring functional and accessible ui design. Still, I get put off sometimes by the dumbest things. I tried that free monophonic version of Aalto, and the background color of the plugin bothers me. And I only started using Synth1 when I found out I could tone down that yellow a bit. It took three different skins to get me to like Oatmeal. Pretty stupid, come to think of it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2013 21:09
|
|
|
Dicky B posted:My favorite thing about Synth1 is the sync button. I don't know what it does internally Oscillator sync uses the frequency of the master oscillator to reset the phase of the slave oscillator. Imagine a dot drawing a sinewave, happily wobbling up and down until BAM it starts in the center again. That BAM point is determined by the frequency of the master oscillator. By altering the frequency of the master oscillator with an envelope routed to the pitch, you get the typical oscillator sync sounds as used for Jean Michel Jarre's Laserharp, Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love", etc. Leaving it in the same place allows you to get some more unusual waveforms out of vanilla analog synthesizers. Synth1 is cool in that sense that (I think - not certain of it) it uses a pseudo-random generator for the noise waveform. Real noise can not be reset, but pseudo-random noise can, because you just regenerate from a seed value. Try this. Most other synths solve this problem by putting noise as a level control in the mixer section (Diva, DCAM, Massive) instead of having it as an oscillator waveform, or they allow it as a shape for the oscillator, but do not allow oscillator sync at all (Sylenth). The Nord Micromodular has the so-called formant oscillator, which is basically a short looped burst of noise (the actual noise fragment in the Micromodular is bigger and you get two controls to choose from a variety of those bursts). If you record a short burst of noise and reduce the loop size to something tiny, you can easily recreate this yourself; you get a tinny bright waveform that would otherwise take ages to create with say, FM synths but it's done in a matter of seconds in say, ShortCircuit (which can deal with those short loops in a hi-fi way). quote:The sound that comes in at around 00:35 on this track uses this technique: This is really cool poo poo I couldn't ever make. I also love your "Use Trinkets" track. Please tell me you have convinced some iOS game devs to use your work. edit: are you familiar with this track? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcVfuisHOBE (Neo Geo's "Viewpoint", level 1 OST) Laserjet 4P fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Mar 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2013 21:19
|
|
|
Lump Shaker posted:Something I've been working on, it ended up coming out a bit like an upbeat dubtechno song. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. There are a lot of bassy sounds in this song that I had a hard time fitting together. Hey man, I like your work. Few feedbacks for this one, just my opinions so take as your wish At the beginning, those pipe hits have a bit too much reverb on them. Maybe accentuated by the noise running through? I like the idea and think the reverb fits a lot better at 1.30 when the extra perc comes in so maybe bring it up a minute in when the bass comes in (it also reflects well off the extra bass that becomes prominent at the same time) but let there be more harmonics of the actual percussion poking through before. Maybe add a closed hat when you drop or 32/64 after the drop on the on and/or off beat ? The whisper/voice sound you have filtering in and out through the tune is crushing somewhere high up. Bass sounds good and clean. at 3:27 when you high cut the pipe perc, you have the right idea there but I would slowly bring the high freq.s down slowly before you do so it sort of filters in. I was thinking at that build up those percs need to come down and then you do so its just about making it a more gradual transition I think.I would add another high hat around the 4:27 drop. Again the closed could come back here? Lastly where you end the tune maybe create a final drop with just kick/hats so it's easier for the DJ to mix into the next tune. Enjoyed the track mate, thanks. Hope these help.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2013 10:18
|
|
|
Thanks man, that is incredibly useful feedback. I'm going to go back and listen to those parts to clean up. I'm still working on my mixing skills (and probably need to invest in some better monitors) so this kind of feedback is very helpful. I hear you on the end of the track - I don't do any real djing so I wouldn't have thought of that.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2013 16:59
|
|
|
Laserjet 4P posted:Synth1 is cool in that sense that (I think - not certain of it) it uses a pseudo-random generator for the noise waveform. Real noise can not be reset, but pseudo-random noise can, because you just regenerate from a seed value. Try this. Laserjet 4P posted:This is really cool poo poo I couldn't ever make. I also love your "Use Trinkets" track. Please tell me you have convinced some iOS game devs to use your work.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2013 20:02
|
|
|
So lately I've been really smitten with Blawan's "Why They Hide They Bodies Under My Garage" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL_Bbyi3ub8) and Marcelus' "Warhead" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5y6p9DN5f0). They seem simple and "repetitive" but still manage to keep my interest and I especially love the textures and the... "evilness" they can create. I'm trying to break down what I like about them or what makes them effective, so I started working on this little number - https://soundcloud.com/gkchestertron/shudder . I'm trying to One thing about this style is that, correct me if I'm wrong, it seems the sub-bass lies almost entirely in the kick drum as opposed to a bass line? At least that's where I feel most of the rumble...
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2013 21:05
|
|
|
https://soundcloud.com/fastland/absolute-verdancy Found a fantastic 90s synth riff that I had to do something with.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2013 21:28
|
|
|
hey slardel maybe we could get married and then you could teach me about music because I don't want advice from anyone else.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 17:41
|
|
|
Maybe I can get some feedback this time...  https://soundcloud.com/icarus-breathes/kissing-blue
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 19:57
|
|
|
I'm no expert but I've listened to the last few songs posted and below are my amateur thoughts:All Else Failed posted:Maybe I can get some feedback this time... I think you nailed the punchy kick/snare combo and I like the synth at the beginning but I think the ducking is a little intense. Not a huge fan of the pan flute style synth. The bass is nice. Maybe include some additional percussion hits other than the snare for fills? SHAOLIN FUCKFIEND posted:https://soundcloud.com/fastland/absolute-verdancy This is pretty cool. Not a huge fan of the kick though as it seems a bit wimpy (maybe just my headphones). Is this at 115 bpm? Seems a little slow but maybe that is the style now with prog house. Anal Surgery posted:So lately I've been really smitten with Blawan's "Why They Hide They Bodies Under My Garage" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL_Bbyi3ub8) and Marcelus' "Warhead" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5y6p9DN5f0). They seem simple and "repetitive" but still manage to keep my interest and I especially love the textures and the... "evilness" they can create. I'm not a huge fan of the Blawan etc. sound, its a bit stripped down for my tastes so take my feedback with a grain of salt:). DJ's might not like the vocals at the beginning of the song as it could make it tricky to mix. I think you should bring the snare on 2/4 in a bit earlier as it gives it some more groove. You might try a kick with a little high end or a distored kick as used in those two songs.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 20:40
|
|
|
If I have zero interest in buying things like Vengeance sample packs and want to make my own super compressed drums, where would be a good place to go for samples?
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 21:07
|
|
|
I'd suggest recording your own stuff, just bang on pots and pans, and scrape things over other things and that kind of stuff, then make drums from that. Very satisfying.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 21:26
|
|
|
All Else Failed posted:Maybe I can get some feedback this time... This track totally gave me a Playstation-era adventure game vibe - and I mean that in a very good way. It was fun and kinetic and lush. I guess my only thing would be at around the 2:20 mark you have a gravely bass wibblin' and wobblin' and when it pitches down it sort of loses the harmony with the rest of the track since you can only hear the gravely bit and not the note underneath. It's a cool effect if that's what you're going for, I just noticed it kind of deviated a little from the melodiousness(?) of the rest of the track.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 23:01
|
|
|
Another new doodle, I can't seem to get to finishing anything. Automation is shakey, as is the final mix. https://soundcloud.com/figure-8/hymn
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 23:14
|
|
|
I have a little dilemma on the business side of things. I did this remix of a Frank Ocean song last year (http://youtu.be/BHXw0_HrtXs) and I say "remix" in the loosest terms possible. I did it in a day, my attempt at isolating the acapella is kind of poo poo, and it's not transformative enough for me to really pimp it out as anything but a mildly stylized edit. That said, 13K youtube hits and maxed out downloads on my Soundcloud is kinda crazy for me (all my other stuff sits much lower than that). 3 DJs so far have reached out to me about getting the mp3 when Soundcloud disabled the downloads for it, and I happily provide that. But it makes me wonder if I can monetize this thing in any way and, if so, should I? Is it generally a terrible idea to charge anyone for an unauthorized remix?
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2013 23:41
|
|
|
Rivfader posted:Another new doodle, I can't seem to get to finishing anything. Finish those tracks! Good stuff, this has some pretty unique sounds in it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 00:39
|
|
|
WAFFLEHOUND posted:If I have zero interest in buying things like Vengeance sample packs and want to make my own super compressed drums, where would be a good place to go for samples? Goldbaby aarontxwl posted:I have a little dilemma on the business side of things. I did this remix of a Frank Ocean song last year (http://youtu.be/BHXw0_HrtXs) and I say "remix" in the loosest terms possible. I did it in a day, my attempt at isolating the acapella is kind of poo poo, and it's not transformative enough for me to really pimp it out as anything but a mildly stylized edit. Man, if you even have to ask this... Even if you entered an official remix contest, usually in the terms and conditions you give up all rights and they own it. And you probably can't monetize it anyway, 13k views is a drop in the ocean.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 02:07
|
|
|
Rivfader posted:Another new doodle, I can't seem to get to finishing anything. This is really nifty - some great sound design in there. Looking forward to the final version!
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 05:34
|
|
|
Rivfader posted:Another new doodle, I can't seem to get to finishing anything. The bass & percussion in the first part reminds me a bit of Download.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 06:53
|
|
|
Rivfader posted:Another new doodle, I can't seem to get to finishing anything. For me personally there's too much going on. Something unique about this style of techno is the synth groove can happen over 2/4 bars rather than every 1, so don't be afraid to spread those layers out and let people digest the sounds. You should find this creates more of an atmosphere within the track. If it feels too empty you can try adding a subtle hat or two underneath everything.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 10:58
|
|
|
So I'd like a bit of input. Been listening to dance punk and the like lately- particularly MSTRKRFT/JFK and the like. Combine this with a little musical inspiration from sci-fi westerns like Firefly and Cowboy Bebop, I took a stab at making a track using a very grindy saw lead reminiscent of the overly distorted guitar from dance punk, and a bit of a twangy composition inspired by the aformentioned shows. While I did a hack-mastering job on it for loudness, there's still much to be desired when it comes to how 'clean' the mix is. I've since returned to carve out bits <100HZ on the lead so the sub-bass punches through more, and have tweaked the kick and set low and hi shelves on other instruments, and tamed the hihats/reverse crash levels a bit. Any further suggestions on mixing would be nice. Anyway, before I release it I'd like to get some pointers, and where better than here? Here's where I am with the track mentally: I'm thinking about adding a really crazy dubby breakdown in place of the final drop, to lead into it and lengthen the song a bit. Pretty typical these days I know, but I'm feeling the song needs to be changed up a bit. However part of me feels the structure is fine as is, and the vibe is suited to a short song. Oh also, the fade out into the break/build sounds like poo poo but everything I've tried sounds like poo poo which is sad because I like the build  The closed hihats sound like a train picking up speed  Anyways, enough rambling, here it is. https://soundcloud.com/poizenjam/space-cowboy/s-k2cu2 PoizenJam fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Mar 20, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 13:00
|
|
|
aarontxwl posted:I have a little dilemma on the business side of things. I did this remix of a Frank Ocean song last year (http://youtu.be/BHXw0_HrtXs) and I say "remix" in the loosest terms possible. I did it in a day, my attempt at isolating the acapella is kind of poo poo, and it's not transformative enough for me to really pimp it out as anything but a mildly stylized edit. Yes, it's a terrible idea. I'm in the same boat in that I've done a few edits/blends that have been posted on a few popular websites. I've gotten over 6000 plays on soundcloud in the past few months and that's literally nothing. Keep posting stuff for free and you'll build a following that at some point you can use to your advantage.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 16:29
|
|
|
TheWevel posted:Yes, it's a terrible idea. I'm in the same boat in that I've done a few edits/blends that have been posted on a few popular websites. I've gotten over 6000 plays on soundcloud in the past few months and that's literally nothing. Keep posting stuff for free and you'll build a following that at some point you can use to your advantage. thanks y'all this confirms exactly how i felt about it. cheers.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 19:54
|
|
|
Something I've always had a problem with, but just kind of gave up on was that all of my tracks seem so much quieter than current commercial tracks. I honestly wouldn't care, though when I use Traktor to perform the waveforms between mine and other songs are wildly different (mine being much thinner). They hang out around 0db in Live and even when I open them up in other programs they look identical. Anyone have any ideas?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:17
|
|
|
Are you running some kind of volume maximizer over things as a final step? What do you do w.r.t. EQ? If there's lots of crap in the low that you're not aggressively filtering away said maximizer's going to be confused because it already inflated the maximum peaks to the maximum, but it doesn't know that it's around 30 Hz and you don't want to have that maximized anyway. If you look at some of those commercial tracks, sometimes they're outright clipping. Here, go try this if you must: http://www.sonnoxplugins.com/pub/plugins/products/inflator.htm
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:28
|
|
|
Laserjet 4P posted:Are you running some kind of volume maximizer over things as a final step? I've done plenty of EQing, compressing, etc. and to no avail. I've had several tracks of mine professionally mastered and even then they sound quieter, though level-wise they look the same and still on Traktor they look puny. I definitely don't want to go the clipping route, and honestly wouldn't care if while playing live there was a great inconsistency when mixing from someone else's track to mine.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:45
|
|
|
Event Horizon is a nice little volume maximizer if you're not looking to spend a lot, and can have a little more character than a straightforward mastering limiter.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:56
|
|
|
Beef Log Boy posted:Something I've always had a problem with, but just kind of gave up on was that all of my tracks seem so much quieter than current commercial tracks. I honestly wouldn't care, though when I use Traktor to perform the waveforms between mine and other songs are wildly different (mine being much thinner). They hang out around 0db in Live and even when I open them up in other programs they look identical. Anyone have any ideas? Sounds like it's time for you to graduate and learn the art of the maximizer. I've been working on really learning Ozone, but the principle applies to any software and any mix. If your waveforms are too thin or your music is too quiet, you want to limit the peaks at the threshold you set, and then bring up the rest of the mix (automatic makeup gain is applied). In other words, if you lower the threshold 2 dB, the output is increased 2 dB. This brings up the overall 'average' level of the mix, but it is deceptive because you cannot really properly hear how it changes unless you compare it to the original in a level-matched way. As for the peaks, limiting or clipping a single sample is virtually unnoticable. Since the peaks are cut down, you can bring up the bulk of the mix and nothing overloads 0 dB. If you ride it too far, you will hear distortion, so it's fairly easy to find exactly the right point for a given mix. There's a little "crest" in Ozone's histograms you can use as a visual aid. In a mix with a reasonably strong level (like someone who makes really good electro like you), the threshold you want will probably be around -1 to -3 dB. People will say "DON'T gently caress IT UP!! USE A MASTERING ENGINEER!!". But how many of today's producer superstars are actually using one vs. doing everything in the box...? What are these 16 year old kids on soundcloud using? and what about regular ham & eggers like us who probably don't have the resources? It's just another thing you have to learn for the time being.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 22:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 08:52 |
|
|
He already knows and does that stuff, have a listen to his tracks. Sorry I guess that sounds a little snappy, not trying to be a dick! Just saying he is definitely already doing a decent job in that regard. I listen to and looked at a couple of the tracks and they seem fine to me, but I don't listen to this genre so I don't know what to compare with. The peak vs RMS spread looks like it's in the 8-9db range which is pretty typical these days as far as I know. Do you have an example of one that's striking you as noticeably louder, Beef, and maybe a screenshot of what you are talking about in Traktor? Are you already hitting everything with subtle saturators/console emu plugins? Don't know if it would really be a good idea since you've got pretty bright tracks, but might be worth a try if don't already do it. breaks fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Mar 21, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 05:38
|
|
